Are there internship and job opportunities I should know about?

Yes! Internships and student jobs are a great way to build your résumé. You gain valuable work experience, develop appropriate skills in your area of interest, build relationships with mentors and others who have the potential to assist you when you begin a serious job-search later on, and explore career paths to see if they truly fit your skills and abilities.

The best place to find a variety of good paying student jobs in any field, both on and off campus, is the UW Student Job Center.

SuccessWorks has these sources to help you fund your internship:

Learn how you can get credit for your internship by taking Inter L&S 260

Government

There are so many possibilities that fall under “government work” that it’s impossible to provide a comprehensive overview of what’s available to you. You can consider anything from serving in Congress to city management, from public policy work to foreign service. The best way to get experience in these areas is to conduct informational interviews, intern or volunteer for offices and organizations that interest you, and visit the wide variety of online resources available to you:

Try the SuccessWorks website to learn more about government, policy, international affairs, and the legal field.

International Opportunities

Finding employment abroad can also be achieved numerous ways. Again, the government path might be one of the most obvious but you can also consider international non-profits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch), corporations with overseas locations, or trade associations.

Non-Profit

If you’ve always pictured yourself helping others but are too queasy for medicine and not great at organic chemistry, consider public service to others in the form of non-profit employment. There are many ways to be of service through food banks, literacy networks, shelters, community programming, immigration centers – if you have an interest area, there is most likely more than one non-profit to choose from. The best place to start is the Morgridge Center for Public Service.

Communications and Journalism

One of the most significant skills you can hone while in college is the ability to write and speak professionally, purposefully, and with precision. A career in this field can be found through work in advertising, marketing, freelance reporting, media relations, publicity, website development, and much more. Reach out to the Media, Information, and Communication Advisor, Pam Garcia-Rivera. Have a look at the types of careers/internships available.

In addition, consider writing and/or working for the Badger Herald or Daily Cardinal. You should also explore the television & radio stations, newspapers, and magazines around Madison.

Business and Tech Industries

Much like government work, the business world offers a wide variety of opportunities for liberal arts majors. You can find work in companies large and small doing anything from sales of insurance (State Farm) or athletic apparel (Nike) to marketing for major corporations (Pepsi) or clothing stores (Kohl’s). Many of these opportunities depend on internship work and general work experience. If you’ve worked retail or customer services jobs, you have a clear idea of what the general public needs or wants; these experiences provide a foundation for a career if you let them. The search for this kind of work can be a little more time-consuming, but there are opportunities in Madison and just about every other major city you can think of.